BTO Breeding Nightingale Survey 2012

In 2012 BTO will be organising a new national Nightingale survey, following on from the previous surveys. The 2012 survey will investigate distribution and population change; habitat associations; and the proportion of males that are paired. The Nightingale is a declining summer immigrant to Britain, where it is at the north-western edge of its range. Worcestershire is now on the very edge of that range as the distribution here has retracted to the southern parts of the county in the last forty years although occasional birds turn up elsewhere. Numbers are now low. This means that records from Worcestershire are particularly important for following future changes.

The survey is based on tetrads where Nightingales have been recorded for the last ten years including the 1999 survey. The aim is to cover 2700 tetrads nationally. The survey sites will include those occupied in the 1999 survey, as well as additional sites occupied since 2007 (identified from County Reports, BTO Atlases, BirdTrack records, and local knowledge), and a ‘stratified random’ sample of 300 tetrads within the known range.

The survey

The Basic survey (provisionally 27 April – 14 May 2012) will involve two early morning visits (between one hour before sunrise and 0830hrs). Also there is an Optional Nocturnal Survey(provisionally 18 May – 4 June), to help determine the number of paired/unpaired males, which should ideally involve two nocturnal visits (between midnight and 0300hrs). This based on the fact that Nightingale males tend to stop singing when they find a mate and start to nest. Unpaired males sing on into the summer. Any additional visits or casual records would be very welcome.

Table 1. shows the 41 tetrads allocated for surveying in Worcestershire. They are designated either ‘Priority’ and ‘Non-priority’. The outline structure for the survey is as follows:

First survey period: provisionally 27th April to 14th May

1. two daytime visits to every priority tetrad

2. two daytime visits to as many non-priority tetrads as possible

3. additional daytime visits welcome, to any tetrad.

Second survey period: provisionally 18th May to 4th June

1. two nocturnal visits to as many occupied priority tetrads as possible

2. two nocturnal visits to as many occupied non-priority tetrads as possible

3. additional daytime or nocturnal visits welcome, to any tetrad

If you are interested in helping with this survey please contact me soon so tetrads can be allocated to observers. Ideally the same observer should make the nocturnal visits as well as the daytime ones. Of first importance is to survey ‘Priority’ tetrads but it is highly desirable to cover all tetrads allocated especially to document the changes in Worcestershire since earlier surveys.

The emphasis of this survey is firmly on tetrad coverage but any other Nightingale reports (or zero records) from any area will be welcome. For Worcestershire it would be very helpful if records can sent to me. They can also be submitted to BTO via BirdTrack or on casual-record forms (part of the survey documentation).

Tetrad

10 km square

SiteName

Tetrad type

SO66D

SO66

Nineholes - Kyrewood

Priority

SO74H

SO74

Old Country House

Priority

SO74U

SO74

Leigh Sinton Road

Priority

SO74W

SO74

Langdale Wood

Priority

SO74X

SO74

Great Malvern

Priority

SO74Z

SO74

Malvern Spring lane industrial estate

Priority

SO75C

SO75

Bringsty Common

Priority

SO75N

SO75

Easinghope Farm

Priority

SO76K

SO76

NW of Martley

Priority

SO76R

SO76

Hockhams Farm - Martley

Priority

SO77V

SO77

Lickhill Manor Caravan Park

Priority

SO83H

SO83

Hill Court Farm - Longdon

Non Priority

SO83T

SO83

Ripple

Non Priority

SO83Z

SO83

Strensham Pool

Non Priority

SO83L

SO83

Forthampton

Priority

SO83V

SO83

Priors Park

Non priority

SO83W

SO83

Tewkesbury Ham

Priority

SO83X

SO83

Mythe Railway

Priority

SO84F

SO83

Brotheridge Green

Priority

SO84K

SO83

Upton upon Severn old railway

Priority

SO84L

SO84

Severn End

Non Priority

SO84R

SO84

Earls Croome

Non Priority

SO84S

SO84

High Green

Non Priority

SO84V

SO84

Strensham M5 Services

Non Priority

SO84X

SO84

Defford Airfield

Non Priority

SO84Y

SO84

Lickmoor Coppice

Non Priority

SO84B

SO84

Hanley Swan

Priority

SO84J

SO84

Old Hills Common

Priority

SO84T

SO84

Northmoor Common

Priority

SO84W

SO84

Marsh Common

Priority

SO86A

SO86

Monkwood

Priority

SO86D

SO86

Shrawley Wood area

Priority

SO87B

SO87

Burlish Top, Stourport

Priority

SO93E

SO93

Strensham Water Works

Priority

SO94A

SO94

South Covert - Strensham

Non Priority

SO94E

SO94

Caldewell Mill

Non Priority

SO94S

SO94

Menagerie Wood

Non Priority

SO94D

SO94

Deerfold Wood

Priority

SO96I

SO96

Upton Warren

Non Priority

SP04U

SP04

Abbots Salford

Priority

SP06Y

SP06

Conduit Coppice

Priority

Table 1. Worcestershire tetrads to be covered in the 2012 survey.

In addition, there will be some paid work undertaken for the survey and organised by BTO. The extent of this is dependent on funding and is very uncertain at present. If any keen and competent reader is interested in the possibility of limited short-term work at short notice, if the opportunity arose, please let me know.